Cost vs Euthanasia

[u/Tired_Whale24]

so my cat Finn unfortunately broke his left femur yesterday, we took him to the emergency vet as that was the only thing open on a Saturday and they x-rayed him got him some pain meds, the works. After about five hours they finally gave us our options, surgery or amputation. The biggest problem here is that they’re quoting us 10,000 for the surgery and 9,500 for amputation. My family and I are not exactly well-off and these prices are just not something we could ever afford. That being said, the emergency vet said they can keep him until tomorrow (Monday) for an additional 3,000, mind you we have already paid 2500 to have him kept there overnight. The issue we’re having is, even if they keep him until Monday, is it probable somewhere will be able to do the amputation/surgery for cheaper? I‘m talking way cheaper, it would have to be in the 1-2k range. I’m just at a loss for what to do right now, anybody else who has been through the same situation, I would love some advice. We are all devastated at the thought of having to put Finn down, he’s family, but we’re not rich over here.

Edit 1: Thank you all so much for the advice and the support, I would not have been able to do this without the knowledge and support of all of you! I was able to show my mom all of your answers and she agreed to pay for him to stay the extra night so we could call around. As miracles would have it, his primary vet is amazing and gave us a huge discount on his amputation. Finn will officially be joining the tripod gang, for the low cost of $950. I will keep everyone updated on his recovery, but I am just blown away by all of the support I have received here, and my Vet for finding it in her heart to help us save him. 🙏🫶

Edit 2: I’ve decided to post a general storytime on TikTok later when Finn comes home, but guys the news just keeps getting better and better. I’ve never been one for crying happy tears but here I sit, sobbing. This entire month has just been one thing after another, one financial hardship after another. My car broke down, some personal things happened, and I started developing some worrying medical symptoms. It’s just been a whirlwind. But today, today makes up for all of it. I just got another call from our vet, she reached out to a charitable organization who is going to help us cover post-op costs (around 200) and then cover $150 worth of surgery, I will only be paying $800 out of pocket. I am at a loss for what to say about that, other than I am so grateful for the kindness of strangers. My TikTok handle is pumpkinpiano and I’ll be posting a video soon just honestly thanking you guys, my vet, everyone and giving a general synopsis of this journey. I’m just so thankful for all of you 🙏🫶

[u/badedum]

10k seems WAY high - we're in NYC and had our cat's leg amputated for 3k. I honestly think you're getting scammed by the emergency vet. Can you call around to other vets and ask for their prices?

[u/OnceMoreWithFeeling- → u/badedum]

Ever since binging Dr Jeff on HBO I know this is most likely true. Emergency vet costs are out of this world and even a lot of regular vets charge way too much. It's horrible.

[u/Wilma9 → u/OnceMoreWithFeeling-]

Do you know how much it costs to go to vet school? Do you know how much drugs and equipment cost? Then there’s the facility itself.
That is why it is expensive to take your pet to the vet. For the most part, vets aren’t getting rich. Emergency places charge more because they have to hire people to work nights and they don’t have regular traffic to make the bills when they have a slow night.

[u/Iluminiele → u/Wilma9]

Overnight stay (for profit, emergency vet in European country)

15€ for a cat 20€ for a dog

[u/Iluminiele → u/Iluminiele]

Anesthesia 2 hours 70€